Cassation Court upholds over 3-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a drug dealer to three years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in January 2023.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing illegal narcotics while attempting to sell them to an undercover agent on January 17

The SSC handed the defendant a punishment of three years in prison and ordered him to pay JD3,000 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt the defendant was selling illegal drugs in the local market and assigned an agent to buy a small stash of Hashish from him.

“The AND agents offered JD5 for a small stash of Hashish,” court documents said.

When the two met, according to the court papers, police officers arrested the defendant

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to implicate his client in illicit drug trafficking”.

Meanwhile, the SSC prosecution office asked the higher court to uphold the sentence and the fine imposed on the defendant.

The higher court maintained that the SSC had followed the proper procedures in issuing the sentences against the defendant.

“It was clear to the court that the defendant confessed willingly to possessing the illegal drugs to sell it in the local market,” the higher court said.

Therefore, the higher court maintained that the defendant deserves the punishment he received.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Yassin Abdullat, Hammad Ghzawi, Qassem Dughmi, Mohammad Khashashneh and Nayef Samarat.